The Catalans have to beat Real Madrid to keep their Copa del Rey hopes alive.
Xavi Hernandez has admitted Barcelona are not the favourites to win their upcoming Copa del Rey tie against Real Madrid.
An El Clasico clash on Saturday will see the two sides lock horns in the semi-finals’ first leg.
Xavi’s men defeated Real Madrid 3-1 to win the Supercopa final in January. It was their second victory in four El Clasicos under the Spanish manager.
Xavi believes his side are able to “hurt” Real Madrid in the upcoming game, but they are not the favourites to win the tie.
“Madrid will continue to be the favourites because they are champions of LaLiga and the Champions League,” he said at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.
“That is regardless of what happened in the Super Cup, where we did well, or any other factors.
“We may have beaten them in the Super Cup, but this is Madrid. I have to be honest. But I also think we can hurt them and I expect a very even tie overall.”
Barcelona have moved seven points clear at the top of the La Liga table. The Catalans will continue their league campaign with a match against Valencia on March 5.
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